1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process. More specifically, this invention is directed to the selective catalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide in the presence of hydrocarbons.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the commercial manufacture of certain type of chlorinated hydrocarbons, ethylene, hydrogen chloride and oxygen are reacted with one another in the presence of an oxyhydrochlorination catalyst. The product resulting therefrom includes ethylene dichloride, which is a liquid, and certain gaseous materials, including ethylene. It is both desirable and economical to recycle unreacted materials from the waste stream and thus conserve raw materials and reduce disposal problems. As is readily appreciated, should the waste stream contain readily oxidizable materials, these materials will compete with the ethylene in the oxyhydrochlorination process, thereby substantially reducing the efficiency thereof. In addition, such competing reactions increase energy consumption. In order to avoid these problems and yet recapture many of the useful materials present in the waste stream, the prior art has previously attempted to recover these reactants by separation thereof prior to recycling back into the reactor environment. Such separation procedures are both costly and time-consuming and can substantially offset any savings realized from the recovery of these unreacted materials.
With ever increasing prices of feedstocks, there is a continuing need for cost-efficient techniques for recovery of unreacted materials which result from the synthesis of ethylene dichloride. In order for such recovery schemes to be economically feasible, it is necessary to achieve such recycling in a manner which minimizes capital equipment requirements and yet achieves as great a recovery of unreacted material as possible.